United Kingdom (Great Britain) Elizabeth II 1 Pound

History

1 Pound 2010, KM# 1158, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, Capital Сities of the United Kingdom, London, England

1 Pound 2010, KM# 1158, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, Capital Сities of the United Kingdom, London, England, Edge

Obverse. Photo © Ma collection de monnaies

Description

In 2010 and 2011 the capital cities of Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland lent their coats of arms to provide reverse designs for round pounds.

London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. It was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Since at least the 19th century, "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT). Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

Obverse	Crown, jewelry Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Elizabeth II Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage. ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith. Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley ELIZABETH·II·D·G REG·F·D·2010 IRB
Reverse	Coat of arms UK capital cities Military Sword The Corporation of the City of London coat of arms features a red cross and upright red sword in the top left quarter. The three smaller badges represent the other cities in the series. There is currently no single heraldic emblem for London in the normal sense so the coat of arms chosen for the reverse of the London £1 coin belongs to the Corporation of the City of London – the ‘Square Mile’ presided over by the Lord Mayor of London. The red cross and upright red sword in the top left quarter, is usually explained as combining the symbol of the city’s patron saint, St Paul, with that of England’s, the red cross of St George. Engraver: Stuart Devlin ONE LONDON POUND
Edge	Reeded and lettered The motto of the arms can be translated as ‘Lord, direct us’. DOMINE DIRIGE NOS